First, my apologies for my absence during a very politically turbulent time. When I think I've got a grasp of a current event or situation, it morphs into something much larger and deeper than I could have expected. (i.e. Wisconsin, Egypt, well the entire Middle East, constitutionality of the Health Care reform bill, to name a few). Now, don't get me wrong, I could give you my knee jerk reactions to all of them: Everyone's getting cutbacks - so put down the picket signs and get back to work, Mubarak was bad - a democracy movement pushed by Islamic extremists very bad, and mandates are UNconstitutional - start over with REAL legislation. However, that is not what I'm posting about.
Instead, I'm posting about a 10 minute segment I heard on our local popular FM radio station called "Group Therapy". A listener with a specific problem calls in, asking for solutions from the DJ's and the audience. Earlier this week, a mother of an almost 16 year old girl called in with a dilemma. Her daughter has had a boyfriend for two years, and they are "in love". They haven't had sex yet, but are very interested and are heading that direction quickly. The daughter asked the mom if they could "do it" in THEIR HOME, where she was "safe" and "felt comfortable"! [Jaw hit the floor!] And the mother was debating on whether or not she should. My jaw remained on the floor during the entire discussion, and callers voicing their opinions. The most common sentence was: "Well, you know they're going to do it anyway..."
"They're going to do it anyway" could be applied to almost everything wrong in our society. This mom was having a personal crisis because she had no expectations of her daughter's morality, therefore the daughter acted accordingly. And she is considering aiding her in doing so! As that phrase "they're going to do it anyway" rang through my head, I applied it to politics, religion, the economy, the work place, etc. On election day, majority of Americans voice their choice of a government representative at all levels with mediocre expectations of the outcome. We "hope" they will not fall prey to the lobbyists, special interests, lining their pockets... but they're going to do it anyway. "We the People", the sovereign, have little or no expectations of productive and efficient solutions from our representatives, so they act accordingly. The lack of expectations and accountability are a means to soften disappointment and responsibility of the steward. It was a wake up call for me, as a mom, that this is the society my young kids will be facing. Lowered expectations, minimal morals, zero accountability or punishment, no concept of right and wrong,
It can be a depressing outlook, until I discussed this with friends, family, neighbors, and realized, I'm not the only one! Us moms have a grave responsibility to continue to fortify our homes as a refuge from the refuse, to instill values, build confidence, and prepare them for the reality of what they are going to face. I would love some input on this!
